“Beyond The Sea” is the English-language version of the French song “La Mer” by Charles Trenet. The song was first recorded by the French singer Roland Gerbeau in 1945, together with Jo Bouillon’s orchestra at the end of 1945. The orchestration and chorus were provided by Albert Lasry. When Trenet’s version was released in 1946, it became an unexpected hit, and has remained a chanson classic and jazz standard ever since.
While the French original was an ode to changing moods of the sea, Jack Lawrence – who composed the English lyrics – just by adding the word ‘Beyond’ to the title, turned it into a love song. The English-language version, “Beyond the Sea”, was first recorded by Harry James and His Orchestra in 1947. Its lyrics, telling the story of two lovers separated by the sea.
“Beyond the Sea” has been recorded by many artists, but Bobby Darin’s version released in late 1959 is the best known by many, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard, No. 15 on the US R&B Chart, and No. 8 in the UK in early 1960. Before Bobby Darin’s version, two instrumental recordings reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Benny Goodman’s version charted in 1948, and was featured in the Cary Grant/Betsy Drake romantic comedy Every Girl Should Be Married. Roger Williams’ recording reached No. 37 in 1955.
Darin’s recording has been used in many films, TV shows and video games, including Apollo 13, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Diner, Goodfellas, Lost, Black Rain, The X-Files, The Adventures of Ford Fairlaine and BioShock. The song was also played in a 2005 commercial for Carnival Cruise Lines. A portion of Bobby Darin’s recording was played during the splashdown and post-recovery of Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 in the first episode of the 1998 HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon.
American R&B singer George Benson recorded a version of the song under the title “Beyond The Sea (La Mer).” It was released on Warner Bros. This version entered the UK Singles Chart in April 1985. It peaked at no. 60 and remained on the chart for three weeks. Robbie Williams recorded the song for the film Finding Nemo.
